The Fall of the Society

Chapter 67: Test Complete

     Rose was not sure what had happened, or how long she had been laying on her back, but she was very stiff when she awoke. The room around her was very dark, though she could see the outline of Sid sitting near her.

     "What happened?" she asked warily. "Where are we?"

     "Same place as before," Sid said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Just alone now."

    Rose glanced around, rubble laid strewn about the ground from her attacks, but Sid was correct, they were alone now. "Why did she leave?"

     "Phaze was never an assassin. She despises killing and will only act opposed to her belief if someone is truly evil. Otherwise, she will go out of her way to avoid it," Sid told her. "Chances are, she was not stationed here, they would have kept her away from a place like this, given the acts outside. She must have come here for us."

     "That's comforting," Rose replied flatly. "What was the point of all that then?"

     "She was testing you," Sid stated. "That is why I did not help you. I knew you were never in danger of serious injury."

     Rose gave him an exacerbated look, "Thanks for that." He smiled at her and stood up, offering her his hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. "I got the feeling that you and Phaze knew each other," she said in an accusatory tone.

     Smiling Sid turned and began to walk from the room. "I found her when she was very young, unable to control her powers. It was a very chaotic situation for her and her family. They tried everything they could, but they were not set up to deal with someone teleporting things all over the place. I heard about the issue and decided to help. It was a bit surprising that they allowed me to do so, if I am being honest, but they allowed me into their lives. I was able to shut off her ability when she was out of sort, which kept her destruction to a minimum until she had full control of her powers."

     The expression on Rose's face changed drastically, from one of annoyance to one of understanding. "You could have let me in on that, it could have changed the interaction I just had with her."

     Sid shook his head. "She was testing you, I am not sure why, but if she liked what saw, she will likely contact you in the future."

     "I am not sure my jaw and head could handle that," Rose joked with a slight laugh. "If you are such an influence on her, why is she still aligned with the Society."

     "It is where she felt she could do the most good," Sid told her. "The position gave her a lot of contacts and eventually put her where she could affect the way other Socialites behaved. She knew the risk and I supported her decision completely."

      Rose did not reply, she just continued to follow Sid down the corridor. Her mind was racing about everything that had just happened. She also felt terrible because she had just lost for the first time in such a dramatic fashion. If she had to fight Scion would she be able to hold her own, or would she just be in the way. Scion was supposed to be the most dangerous opponent, but beyond that she did not know much about him. Her silence must have drawn the attention of Sid, he had stopped walking and was now watching her.

     "What is bothering you?" he asked her, concern in his voice.

     She looked into his face sincerely. "What if I am not strong enough to help in the fight against Scion?"

     Sid smiled at her, "You are not here to fight Scion. Your portion is complete, you can just hang out now."

     Rose looked at him incredulously. "What do you mean?" she asked a little more aggressively than intended. "Of course I am here to fight Scion!"

    Shaking his head, Sid continued to smile. "This is my fight, everything that has needed to happen up until this point has happened. We are about to make history, though no one will likely ever talk about it."

    Her anger was rising, "Why am I here still if not to fight?"

    "You are here for Tripp, when he awakens, he will be confused. He will likely not realize what has happened and there is a very good chance he will lose control of his powers for a short while, which with as strong as he was before could be a real problem if no one is here that can connect with him."

    Rose's expression changed at once. Anxiety washed across her. "What if I can't get through to him? What if there is nothing of him in what we created?"

    His smile disappeared slightly, before he forced it back onto his face. "You can get through to him, you are the only one capable of this. You saved him in life, and you kept him in death. As for the second part, only one more thing needs to happen to make it a complete success. When the time comes you will realize what you must do, but fighting Scion is not on your shoulders."

     Tears streamed down Rose's pretty face, making lines in the blood that was smeared on her face. Sid ripped the sleeve from his shirt and used it to wipe away her tears, and as much of the blood as he was able. Rose smiled at him, sadness still in her eyes. "We should keep moving, I do not like it here."

    "Correct you are, this place is very dreary." Sid placed his hand on Rose's shoulder and steered her back along the corridor. A sloping grade started to lean downward, making the surface slippery from the angle and the mold that was growing there. Sid began walking more slowly, slipping here and there while holding onto Rose's arm. Rose's concern for him was growing. She could not understand how he was having trouble here, how much of his power had he put into the process to revive Tripp. Why was he keeping silent on how much it had weakened him? If he was willing would she be able to heal him with her powers, help him get back to full strength. She was greatly worried that in his current state he would not stand a chance against Scion. Watching him focus on not slipping she could not fail to see the confidence that still radiated from him, which comforted her greatly. He had never failed to do what he wanted since they had been traveling together, he must have some sort of plan that is causing him to remain in his current state.

     The hallway leveled out, the smell of mold, dirt and moisture still hung in the air. There were no longer dim lights hanging along the ceiling, so as they continued, darkness washed over them. "This portion of this facility is very old, it is likely it was the first one he built, long before he started the Society," Sid told her, as if they were on a tour. "It took me a while to locate this place, it is no wonder. Before he added the new section above, I bet almost no one knew about it." The two rounded a corner and found themselves face to face with an ancient set of cast iron doors. Sid looked around the doors, closely examining the walls and ceiling, ensuring that there were no traps or security measures in place. Happy with the safety of the doors, he turned back to Rose. "Are you ready?"

     Rose cast him a small smile and answered with a nod of her head. "I am ready to do whatever I can in order to help you succeed."

     Sid returned her smile. "I have a plan for what will happen once we get into this room. You will have instances in which you will want to act, but I must ask you to resist. Do you understand?"

     She once more nodded her head to answer him. A sudden feeling of despair grew rapidly in her stomach as she watched Sid push the heavy and ancient doors open, a loud creaking sound emitting from them as he did so. Inside the doors was a massive and open chamber, thick stone lining the walls, reinforced with massive and thick logs. The room was dark, but did not smell of dirt and mold, instead it smelled of fire and burning chemicals. On the far side was a raised dais that housed a small sitting area, surrounded by lab equipment and a massive furnace. Standing in the middle of the sitting area was a man, tall and well built, with graying black hair. His glasses flashed as light from the torches that lined the walls reflected from them, the lines on his face were thrown into deep contrast.

     A broad smile expanded across his face as he raised his eyes slightly to look at them properly. "You have finally made it here, to the place where it all began for me. This is where I learned the knowledge that I would need to ensure that I will endure eternally," he stated proudly spreading his arms wide. "We have been building up to this for centuries, and I am truly happy that you have finally made it, little brother."